The subject enzyme compositions and botanical food compositions were invented to meet the needs of the numerous people who rely on botanicals such as herbs and roots to supplement their diet. The full potential of these botanicals has not been previously recognized. One reason for this is that the active constituents in such botanicals are held within each plant cell by the cellulosic, pectic, hemicellulosic and/or xylanic cell walls, which must be either broken or made permeable in order to release extractable substances. Ingestion of crude dried botanicals in capsule or tablet form allows for only minimal extraction of such substances in the gastrointestinal tract of a human being, as the powders used in such preparations are comprised mainly of masses of whole, undisturbed cells, which are resistant to degradation by the digestive enzymes endogenous to the gastrointestinal system of human beings.
The enzymes contained in the enzyme compositions and botanical food compositions of the present invention are able to degrade the cellulosic, pectin, hemicellulosic and xylan constituents of the cell walls of the ingested botanical in the gastrointestinal system of a human being, to obtain the release of an enhanced quantity of extractable substance. For example, the cellulase, pectinase, hemicellulase and xylanase enzymes of the enzyme and botanical food compositions of this invention degrade, respectively, the cellulosic, pectin, hemicellulosic and xylan constituents contained in the plant cell walls of the ingested botanical. This degradation leads to the release of extractable substance from the ingested botanical, thereby making an enhanced quantity available in the gastrointestinal system of a human being. Without the presence of the cellulase and pectinase enzymes of the present invention, the plant cell walls of the ingested botanical would not be degraded by the digestive enzymes endogenous to the gastrointestinal tract of a human being. The cellulase enzyme is important because it degrades the primary plant cell wall, which consists of cellulose. The pectinase enzyme is important because it degrades pectin, which is an essential structural constituent in various botanicals. The hemicellulase enzyme breaks the structure of xylans and related compounds, which are usually associated with cellulose and lignin in botanicals. The xylanase enzyme also degrades xylan, which is a structural constituent of many botanicals.
To the best of applicant's knowledge, the enzyme compositions and botanical food compositions of the present invention are the first such compositions that seek to enhance the quantity of extractable substance in the gastrointestinal system of a human being.
These advantages of the present invention are demonstrated further by the description below.